Gold Canyon - New Digs

We pulled into Gold Canyon on Oct 29 with the 5h wheel and by Nov 11 we had taken possession of a park model trailer.  Our new winter home.  Was that part of the plan?  Most definitely not, however every year that we traveled south for the winter, this being our 5th year, we have talked about swapping the RV lifestyle for something more permanent.  And each year we rejected the idea however the rejection process took a little longer and was a little less firm.  For whatever reason when we loaded up the trailer and started our trek this year neither of us were as enamoured with the nomadic lifestyle as previous years.  We had a few issues this year on the trip down as we do every year however by comparison to previous years they were relatively minor.  It just seemed as if it was time for a change.  The right decision?  Well every year we have spent some time in Gold Canyon and while we have enjoyed seeing new places it seemed like when we turned into GC we expelled a deep sigh, relaxed and felt like we were home.  Time will tell but for now it seems like it is the right decision.

After getting the 5er set up and a trip down the road to visit Mark & Jan and see their new house we decided to stop in at the sales office and get the skinny on park model ownership.  What the rules were, and there are lots of rules, kind of like living in our Condo back home, and what the all in costs were compared to RVing.  Turns out RVing is probably slightly less expensive, at least on an annual operating cost basis however the capital cost is less, at least for an older park model like we bought, and we will sell the 5th wheel and truck when we get home which should more than cover the cost of our park model and help with some of the planned renovation costs.  At the end of the day its about the lifestyle we want and we have saved all through our working life to enjoy retirement so dam the torpedoes and all ahead full throttle.

Here are some pictures.

Our front entrance.  The truck just fits but Lori's car will leave lots of extra space.
The patio with table and chairs was a large shrub when we moved in.
We found we had nowhere to sit and enjoy the sun or meet the people
walking up and down the street so we put in the patio.
Thanks to some severe weather events in the past 18 months the
exterior siding, roof and awning are all new.
Still leaves lots on the honey-do list on the inside. 

The patio is a fully enclosed screen room which is on our
to do list to convert to an Arizona room.
Also want to expand the back patio to the left.
I think most of the renos' are DIY projects.  At least thats the plan. 

This is our view out the back.  The wash is dry most of the time although
I'm sure its flowing during monsoon season in the summer.
Lots of birds in the wash, cactus and up on the fence.
Plenty of cottontails as well.
Even spotted a Bobcat up on the fence hunting for dinner.
One day he was successful and had a Morning Dove in its mouth.
Apparently snakes, scorpions and spiders are here in the warmer
months so one does have to be aware. 

Bedroom has plenty of closet and drawer space.
Its at the front of the house facing the street.
Its very quiet at night but is on the south side so gets pretty warm. 

Bathroom.  Has a tub and shower and at some point would like to
replace with a walk-in shower and probably replace the sink and
counter top and paint the cupboards. 

Our dining/living room. Faces the wash and Superstition Mountains.
Great view.

Dining room and some of the kitchen cupboards.
The last 2 kitchens we have had at home had no lower cupboard doors.
Only large pot drawers.
Hard to find things in the back of these cupboards but new kitchen is not in the budget. 

Kitchen.  Where the magic happens.
Got new appliances and changed the hinges and handles on the cupboards.
They were previously bright gold handles with very tarnished hinges.
Thought it would be easy but for every hinge I had to fill then re-drill 5 holes.
98 hinges x 5 = 490 holes.  Looks much better though. 

The screened in patio.  Needs some work.
Want to remove the screens and build in some large windows.
Then replace the carpet with vinyl plank floating floor.
Some comfy furniture and a larger TV should make it useable for more
of the season and also provide extra accommodations for guests.
Next years project.  

Whatever I do I don't want to spoil the view.
The view and the quails in the wash were the major reasons we bought this unit. 

So thats our little bit of news.   Our lifestyle while here has changed a bit since the move from the 5er to the park model but we are every bit as busy if not more so.  We have been out on lots of hikes with our Canine hiking group.  Charli hasn't been able to join us this year as she is just getting too old and her legs are giving her trouble.  Don't think we have a lot of time left with her.  Maybe another year.  

Have been out on a number of outings with our photo club plus I join the Photo group at Boyce Thomson Arboretum for their meeting each month so lots of pictures to process and share with you.  

Later